GenPat77 AG Appoints Dr Metin Colpan To Its Supervisory Board

BERLIN, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- GenPat77, a company focused on the discovery of innovative immune modulatory products, announced today the appointment of Dr Metin Colpan to the company's Supervisory Board. Dr Colpan brings to Genpat77 more than 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry, including the founding of several world class companies.

"Metin is one of Europe's most experienced and well-respected biotech leaders. His expertise in pre-analytical techniques enabled him to grow QIAGEN from a fledgling start-up to the multi-billion dollar company it is today. We believe Metin's vast experience in the sector will help steer GenPat77 to the next stage in its corporate development," commented Nalan Utku, MD, CEO of GenPat77.

Dr Colpan co-founded and was CEO of QIAGEN until the end of 2003. Since then he remains as Senior Technology Advisor and member of the Supervisory Board. Prior to founding QIAGEN, Dr. Colpan was an Assistant Investigator at the Institute for Biophysics at the University of Dusseldorf, Germany. He earned his PhD and MSc in Organic Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the Darmstadt Institute of Technology, Germany, in 1983. Dr. Colpan has broad experience in separation techniques, in particular the separation and purification of nucleic acids, and holds many patents in the field. Dr Colpan sits on the Boards of several companies, including GPC Biotech, Morphosys and Ingenium.

"GenPat77 is making great strides in developing new types of products for the detection and treatment of some of the most difficult problems in immunology," noted Dr Colpan. "I was attracted to GenPat77 not only by some of the world's most innovative research in immunology, but also by how management has been able to achieve so much, on limited resources, during the most difficult financing times of the industry's history. I look forward to working with such a dedicated, focused and talented team."

GenPat77 is focused on the discovery of innovative immune modulatory products for rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease and the prevention of transplant rejection. Based on a fundamental understanding of the human immune system, GenPat77 is able to target key proteins in the immune cascade and appropriately modulate the immune response according to each specific indication. The company was founded in Berlin, Germany (1998) based on exclusively licensed intellectual property rights on immune related targets from Brigham and Women's Hospital, an affiliate hospital of Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. The company has licensed TIRC7, a novel molecule involved in immune regulation, to MedImmune for development of biologics and small molecule drugs. For further information visit the company's website at http://www.genpat77.com/.